Ponte Vista at San Pedro is a proposed 830 home project in Northwest San Pedro, being developed by Ponte Vista Partners.
This blog is intended to deal with anything and everything within the Ponte Vista site.
My Email address to comment directly to me or contribute a post is; mrichards2@hotmail.com.
September, 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Ignorant Supporters

How many times do we have to hear the word "affordable" when listening to supporters of Ponte Vista at San Pedro.

Many supporters, especially those folks who speak at the public comment period of the CAC demonstrate their ignorance concerning the word as it applies to any home at Ponte Vista.These supporters also ignore basic facts presented to them by knowledgeable people, including Mr. Bisno, himself.

Hey, ignorant supporters, any home built at Ponte Vista will be sold at market prices and similarly priced with like homes in the area. "Affordable" according to Mr. Robert H. Bisno, in a comment given to the Community Advisory Committee, stated that he believes "affordable" is any home priced at approximately $400,000.00. There MAY be a very few homes sold to folks in selected occupations that MAY receive an up to 3% rebate, but that is only according to Mr. Bisno's comments and I haven't seen anything in writing about that.

It is also sickeningly true that most of the supportive speakers to Mr. Bisno's plans continue to ignore the entire community. These "elitists" wish to buy homes in Mr. Bisno's dream development and do not seem to care what the impact of such a large development would have on the entire community.

If it is absolutely true that only 2% of the local population could afford to purchase an R1 zoned home at Ponte Vista, then, so what? 2% of the total population of San Pedro and eastern Rancho Palos Verdes would more than be enough to buy the 429 homes that could be built.

There has been a recurring speaker who strongly suggests to the CAC that we accept Mr. Bisno's vision of the development so he can move into a home at Ponte Vista. Hey Mr. H. what about the rest of the community who would have to put up with such an over sized development? You seem to be an elitist yourself for demanding we all live with Mr. Bisno's and your vision of what YOU want to live in. Your ignorance of the rest of the community is very sad and quite troubling. Your willingness to ignore neighbors and friends just so you can live where you wish to live is disgusting, IMHO. You have demonstrated a lack of respect for your fellow community members by demanding a development that a large number of nearby residents find too big. Your lack of consideration for those of us who must cross over or travel on Western Avenue should be embarrassing to you. But still you demand just what you want and everyone else be damned.

Just who in the heck were the "600" focus group members who "helped" the Bisno organization create the current plans for the development. Isn't it strange that the process of finding focus group members and how they worked with the developer to come up with the current plans haven't been effectively revealed? I must claim ignorance about this because none of my neighbors seem to have been included in any focus group to determine what the development would look like.

And now to Mrs. D. You, madam troubled me greatly. You claimed to have grown up in S.P. and now live in R.P.V. Then you had the gall to comment about the folks who lived in the annexed portion of R.P.V. and how their kids "were allowed" to go to P.V. Schools. Talk about elitist!!!The residents of the East View section of R.P.V. have as much right to send their children to P.V. schools as any other resident of R.P.V., P.V.E., R.H.E. and P.V. How dare you criticize those folks. Who in the !@#$%#@$@^# do you think you are? When you addressed me at the CAC meeting directly you claimed to be "blue collar". Of course you also stated where you currently live and that you sell homes. You know, I do know some Realtors who do not support Mr. Bisno's plans to provide 2,300 opportunities to repeatedly market homes in the area.

Getting back to blue collar and where you live and the kids you allow to attend P.V. schools.Guess what? Your 40 years in the area makes you a "newbie" by my standards. Your move into R.P.V. area was done by you actually moving. My home left unincorporated L.A. County in 1978 and became part of R.P.V. Yes, Mrs. D, I live in the very same East View area where you "allow" children to attend "your" schools. Oh, by the way, the house I live in is the same house my parents brought me home to, on May 4, 1955.

Oh, Mrs. D and Mr. H., you have both demonstrated, and repeatedly I may add, your ignorance on so many subjects concerning the Ponte Vista at San Pedro project and the impacts it may have on OUR entire community. But, take heart, you are not alone. There are still so many supporters who want "affordable" housing, but when asked what that really means, they have neither a sufficient or educated answer.

Now, to help you supporters just a little bit, I am going to use little words and, perhaps, you just might learn a thing or two.

At the Thursday CAC meeting, our table was the only table to suggest a separate Senior Housing section at Ponte Vista. I not only support Mr. Bisno's view that there should be this type of VOLUNTARY housing, I even think there should be more that 575 units. Now, read very slowly, O.K.? When I commented directly to Mr. Robert H. Bisno that I favored 600 Senior Housing units, do you know what he said to me? More. That is correct, according to what Mr. Bisno told me directly, he thinks there could be more than 600 Senior Housing units built at Ponte Vista.

Oh, and another thing, our table suggested that the Senior Housing component be moved from the north side of the property to the south side of the property because it would mean less of a walk for seniors to make to get to the shopping area close to Ponte Vista.

And guess what supporters, if you have trouble understanding what is written here, I have included a picture of my vision. Look for "Thank You, Sven" post on this blog. Find the colorful picture. Put your mouse over it and use your right index finger to click the button on you mouse. Presto, the pretty picture should "magically" grow!

Now, when you look at the pretty picture you just might notice that there is absolutely, positively no "R1" zoned housing in that picture. Please give me some credit for being realistic.

Another note to supporters, every time you step up to the podium at the CAC meeting and utter the word "affordable" the vast majority of CAC members immediately turn you off because most of us know, all to plainly well, that you have absolutely no clue what "affordable" really means or what Mr. Bisno's own interpretation of that word is.

I am ready to take hits on this post, but golly people, you really need to be a little bit more knowledgeable before you get up in front of me and start speaking and/or attacking me or the CAC. Pretend to really care and read the posts on this blog before you start "ranting" your support for a development you know so very little about!

2 comments:

I must admit that I was tired when I wrote this post, for many reasons.

First, I was tired because I hurried home from working overtime at my "blue collar" job to get to the meeting without being late.

Second, in talking with other members of the CAC, most of the members actually have a pretty good idea with what "affordable" is and what Mr. Bisno considers what the term means to him, but too many supporters seem to continue to use the word without knowing what it really means in the context of overall housing prices and they continue to refrain from realizing that Mr. Bisno has stated what he believes is the dollar amount for the use of the word and even most of his supporters, it seems to many of us, either choose not to learn what that figure is, or don't seem to care about Mr. Bisno's own opinion as to the dollar figure.

I also continue to be frustrated with many supporters who continue to demand living in Mr. Bisno's dream development, but fail to realize the potential impact on the entire community a development of that size would have on everyone.

I feel I have placed enough independent and objective facts throughout this blog to demonstrate to readers that, even though I have a definite and unwavorable stance on the R1 issue, I also have provided many facts, ideas, drawings, comments, and posts that strongly suggest that I can afford a development with a higher density than R1, if proper mitigation is achieved.

It is the ignorance of many facts, concerning the project and the willingness of too few supporters to use the word compromise, coupled with too many supporters who continue to tow the old lines told to them by folks from Bisno Development that demanded the creation of this particular post, IMHO.

I believe that this blog has only have handful of regular readers. I do know who some of them are and I also know that this blog is read by one or two employees of the City of Los Angeles. I also know that it is regularly read be at least one member of the Ponte Vista at San Pedro team and I am also glad that you and a few folks from the community continue to visit and comment.

When I dreamed up this blog I absolutely, positively would have told anyone who would have come to me and said that this blog would have over 4,800 visits within 8 months of its creation, they were out of their mind.

I am amazed that even a handful of people regularly visit this blog to learn information and opinions, and I am proud as punch that there is a still a very small number of folks like you willing to engage yourself using comments and posts to continue to discuss the issues in this free forum.

I don't mind being attacked for my writings, my views on the development, and my speaking out about what will impact our community for generations to come. I do not share the view that the site must stay R1, no matter what, and that is one reason I have not and will not sign the current R1 petition that is still being passed around.I think that with two prominent Ponte Vista supporters coming out in public and using the word "compromise" is a wonderful thing and I wish more supporters of the project's concept would join with many of us opponents to 2,300 homes and come together to finally establish what is best for OUR community.I continue to appreciate the few regular readers to also post comments and write Emails to me. I also appreciate supporters of Ponte Vista who are willing to discuss the issues either via this blog or in person.

Kris, when you used the term "disenchanting your supporters", It threw me off. I have never even considered that I might have folks that would be considered "my supporters". I don't feel that I am in a position to have my own supporters, other than those folks on all sides of the issue supporting this blog with their comments and postings. These wonderful individuals support this blog but I hope not necessarily me or my views.

I did consider placing this post back in draft status, but I will leave it up for at least the next two weeks and see what public comments are made at the next CAC meeting on March 22 to see if anyone learned a thing or two from it.MW

About Me

I am finally taking to heart the following phrase: If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.
I am a happily married Caveman and I have the two greatest sons, two greatest daughters-in-laws and a rat terrier puppy that...well what can one say about a rat terrier?
On May 31, 2013 Miss Monroe Summer Wells entered our lives and we could not be happier. She is NOT the apple of her grandpa's eyes, she is an entire orchard.